The 1982 Minnesota Vikings season was the team's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first in the newly constructed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The team was looking to improve on its 7âÂÂ9 record from 1981. However, a players strike meant seven of the team's 16 games were canceled, and each NFL team was only able to play nine games. The Vikings won their opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing the next week to the Buffalo Bills, a game in which they had a 19âÂÂ0 lead before the Bills pulled off a comeback to win 23âÂÂ22.
After the strike ended, the Vikings lost 26âÂÂ7 to the Packers in Green Bay before beating the Bears 35âÂÂ7 the following week to sit at 2âÂÂ2. After a loss to the Dolphins, the Vikings won their next two games to sit at 4âÂÂ3. In their final game of the season, they upset the Dallas Cowboys 31âÂÂ27 to clinch the NFC's fourth place spot in the playoffs In the playoffs, the Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30âÂÂ24 to reach the divisional round. However, in that game, they lost 21âÂÂ7 to the eventual champion Redskins.
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The Vikings opened their new stadium with a 17âÂÂ10 win over Tampa Bay in the season opener. A close loss to Buffalo on the road followed.
The season was then interrupted by the players' 57-day strike that reduced the NFL regular season to nine games. Upon resumption of play in November, the Vikings went 4âÂÂ3 to close out the abbreviated regular season and closed the campaign with a 5âÂÂ4 record. Games against Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, New Orleans, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Washington were canceled.
As three of Minnesota's losses were to AFC opponents, their 4âÂÂ1 conference record put them at the top of a logjam of teams with similar records in the playoff seedings. In 1982, the NFL took the top eight teams from each conference regardless of division record for playoff consideration. The Vikings earned the #4 seed based on this tiebreaker and home field advantage in round one.
In their opening round playoff game, the Vikings took on the Atlanta Falcons. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw Minnesota take a 13âÂÂ7 halftime lead, only to see the Falcons retake the lead late in the final period on a 41-yard field goal by Mick Luckhurst. With just under two minutes remaining, the Vikings began a game-winning drive that culminated in a Ted Brown 5-yard touchdown run to win the game and send the Vikings on to round two.
In the second round, the Vikings were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins, 21âÂÂ7, at RFK Stadium. The Vikings trailed 14âÂÂ0 after one quarter. Ted Brown's touchdown run in the second period cut it to 14âÂÂ7, but Joe Theismann hit Alvin Garrett late in the quarter with an 18-yard touchdown strike to make it 21âÂÂ7. Neither team scored in the second half.
QB Tommy Kramer threw for 2,037 yards and 15 touchdowns in the short season. RB Ted Brown had 515 yards to lead all rushers, and WR Sammy White tallied 503 yards and five touchdowns to lead receivers.
LB Matt Blair anchored the Vikings defense and also made the 1982 Pro Bowl.